Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

	FORM 10-K

 

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 20202022

 

or

 

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from                     to                     

Commission file number 1-38874

 _______________________________________________________

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 _______________________________________________________

Virginia	54-1232965
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
112 West King Street, Strasburg, Virginia	22657
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (540) 465-9121

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class	Trading symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $1.25 per share	FXNC	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 _______________________________________________________

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this Chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒	Smaller reporting company	☒
		Emerging growth company	☐

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issuedissued its audit report.  ☐ 

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.  ☐ 

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).   ☐ 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by referencereference to the closing sales price on June 30, 2020 2022was $59,149,339.$95,329,016.

 

The number of outstandingoutstanding shares of common stock as of March 30, 202117, 2023 was 4,868,462.6,281,935.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Proxy Statement for the 20212023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders – Part III

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Part I

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

First National Corporation (the Company) makes forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding profitability, liquidity, adequacy of capital, allowance for loan losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, and growth strategy, and the impact of the Company’s acquisition (the Merger) of The Bank of Fincastle (Fincastle), including the expected levels of merger related expenses to be incurred by the Company and the potential impact of the Merger on the Company’s and First Bank’s (the Bank) liquidity and capital levels, as well as certain financial and other goals.strategy. The words “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” or other similar words or terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant uncertainties because they are based upon or are affected by factors including:

Because of these and other uncertainties, actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements. In addition, past results of operations do not necessarily indicate future results.

General

First National Corporation (the Company) is a bank holding company incorporated under Virginia law on September 7, 1983. The Company owns all of the stock of its primary operating subsidiary, First Bank (the Bank), which is a commercial bank chartered under Virginia law. The Company’s subsidiaries are:

First Bank Financial Services, Inc. investsowns an interest in entitiesan entity that provideprovides title insurance and investment services. Bank of Fincastle Services, Inc. is no longer an active operating entity.  Shen-Valley Land Holdings, LLC wasand ESF, LLC were formed to hold other real estate owned and future office sites. The Trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing redeemable capital securities, commonly known as trust preferred securities and are not included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with authoritative accounting guidance because management has determined that the Trusts qualify as variable interest entities.

The Bank first opened for business on July 1, 1907 under the name The Peoples National Bank of Strasburg. On January 10, 1928, the Bank changed its name to The First National Bank of Strasburg. On April 12, 1994, the Bank received approval from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Financial Institutions to convert to a state chartered bank with membership in the Federal Reserve System. System. On June 1, 1994, the Bank consummated such conversion and changed its name to First Bank.

On February 18,July 1, 2021, the Company completed the Bank and Fincastle entered into an agreement and planacquisition of merger, pursuant to which Fincastle will merge with and into FirstThe Bank with First Bank being the surviving entity in the Merger.  Upon completion of the Merger, each outstanding share of Fincastle common stock will be converted into the right to receive, without interest, one(Fincastle) for an aggregate purchase price of the following: (i) $3.30 in cash, (ii) a number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to the 0.1649 shares of the Company’s  common stock for each share of Fincastle common stock, or (iii) a combination$33.8 million of cash and stock. On September 30, 2021, the Company’s common stock. Fincastle shareholders will haveBank acquired $82.0 million of loans and certain fixed assets from SmartBank related to its Richmond area branch. The Bank purchased the rightfixed assets for an amount equal to elect the form of consideration paid, subject to the limitations that 80% of Fincastle’s outstanding shares of common stock will be exchanged for the Company’s common stock and 20% of Fincastle’s outstanding shares of common stock will be exchanged for cash consideration. If Fincastle shareholders elect for more than 20% of Fincastle’s outstanding shares of common stock to be exchanged for cash consideration, the Company has the unilateral right to increase the amount of cash paid up to 22% of Fincastle’s outstanding shares of common stock. SmartBank’s book value. Additional information about these acquisitions is presented in Note 25.

Completion of the Merger is subject to the approval of the respective shareholders of Fincastle and the Company, regulatory approvals, and other customary closing conditions. Pursuant to the Agreement, three directors of Fincastle will be invited to serve on the boards of directors of the Company and the Bank.  The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. 

Access to Filings

The Company’s internet address is www.fbvirginia.com. The Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, as filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), are available free of charge at www.fbvirginia.com as soon as reasonably practicable after being filed with or furnished to the SEC. A copy of any of the Company’s filings will be sent, without charge, to any shareholder upon written request to: M. Shane Bell, Chief Financial Officer, at 112 West King Street, Strasburg, Virginia 22657. The information on the Company's website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Products and Services

The Bank offers loan, deposit, and wealth management products and services. Loan products and services include consumer loans, residential mortgages, home equity loans, and commercial loans. Deposit products and services include checking accounts, treasury management solutions, savings accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, and individual retirement accounts. Wealth management services include estate planning, investment management of assets, trustee under an agreement, trustee under a will, individual retirement accounts, and estate settlement. Customers include small and medium-sized businesses, individuals, estates, local governmental entities, and non-profit organizations. The Bank’s office locations are well-positioned in attractive markets along the Interstate 81, Interstate 66, and Interstate 64 corridors in the Shenandoah Valley, the Roanoke Valley, central regions of Virginia, and the city of Richmond. Within this market area, there are diverse types of industry including medical and professional services, manufacturing, retail, warehousing, Federal government, hospitality, and higher education.

The Bank’s products and services areare delivered through 1420 bank branch offices, located throughout the Shenandoah Valley and central regions of Virginia, a loan production office and atwo customer service centercenters in a retirement village. The branch offices are comprised of 13 full service retail banking offices and one drive-through express banking office.communities.  For the locationlocation and general character of each of these offices, see Item 2 of this Form 10-K. Many of the Bank’s services are also delivered through the Bank’s mobile banking platform, its website, www.fbvirginia.com, and a network of ATMs located throughout its market area.

Competition

The financial services industry remains highly competitive and is constantly evolving. The Company experiences strong competition in all aspects of its business. In its market areas, the Company competes with large national and regional financial institutions, credit unions, other community banks, as well as consumer finance companies, mortgage companies, marketplace lenders and other financial technology firms, mutual funds and life insurance companies. Competition for deposits and loans is affected by various factors including interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and types of products offered, and the reputation of the institution. Credit unions have been allowed to increasingly expand their membership definitions and, because they enjoy a favorable tax status, may be able to offer more attractive loan and deposit pricing.

The Company believes its competitive advantages include long-term customer relationships, local management and directors, a commitment to excellent customer service, dedicated and loyal employees, and the support of and involvement in the communities that the Company serves. The Company focuses on providing products and services to individuals, small to medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations, and local governmental entities within itsits communities. The Company’s primary operating subsidiary, First Bank, generally has a strong deposit share of the markets it serves. According to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) deposit data as of June 30, 2020,2022, the Bank was ranked thirdsecond overall in its market area with 10.53%12.39% of theits total deposit market.

No material part of the business of the Company is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the business of the Company.

Employees

At December 31, 2020,2022, the Bank employed a total of 150215 full-time equivalent employees. The Company considers relations with its employees to be excellent.

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively and increasingly regulated under both federal and state laws. The following description briefly addresses certain historic and current provisions of federal and state laws and regulations, proposed regulations, and the potential impacts on the Company and the Bank. To the extent statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals are described in this report, the description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals.

The Company

General. As a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA), the Company is subject to supervision, regulation, and examination by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve). The Company is also registered under the bank holding company laws of Virginia and is subject to supervision, regulation, and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the SCC).

Permitted Activities. A bank holding company is limited to managing or controlling banks, furnishing services to or performing services for its subsidiaries, and engaging in other activities that the Federal Reserve determines by regulation or order to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. In determining whether a particular activity is permissible, the Federal Reserve must consider whether the performance of such an activity reasonably can be expected to produce benefits to the public that outweigh possible adverse effects. Possible benefits include greater convenience, increased competition, and gains in efficiency. Possible adverse effects include undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest, and unsound banking practices. Despite prior approval, the Federal Reserve may order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve has reasonable cause to believe that a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any bank subsidiary of that bank holding company may result from such an activity.

Banking Acquisitions; Changes in Control. The BHCA requires, among other things, the prior approval of the Federal Reserve in any case where a bank holding company proposes to (i) acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock of any bank or bank holding company (unless it already owns a majority of such voting shares), (ii) acquire all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company, or (iii) merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company. In determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition, the Federal Reserve will consider, among other factors, the effect of the acquisition on competition, the public benefits expected to be received from the acquisition, the projected capital ratios and levels on a post-acquisition basis, and the acquiring institution’s performance under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the CRA).

Subject to certain exceptions, the BHCA and the Change in Bank Control Act, together with the applicable regulations, require Federal Reserve approval (or, depending on the circumstances, no notice of disapproval) prior to any person or company’s acquiring “control” of a bank or bank holding company. A conclusive presumption of control exists if an individual or company acquires the power, directly or indirectly, to direct the management or policies of an insured depository institution or to vote 25% or more of any class of voting securities of any insured depository institution. A rebuttable presumption of control exists if a person or company acquires 10% or more but less than 25% of any class of voting securities of an insured depository institution and either the institution has registered securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) or no other person will own a greater percentage of that class of voting securities immediately after the acquisition. The Company’s common stock is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

Source of Strength. Federal Reserve policy has historically required bank holding companies to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to their subsidiary banks. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) codified this policy as a statutory requirement. The federal bank regulatory agencies must still issue regulations to implement the source of strength provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Under this requirement, the Company is expected to commit resources to support the Bank, including at times when the Company may not be in a financial position to provide such resources. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to any of its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to depositors and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary banks. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment.

Safety and Soundness. There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on bank holding companies and their subsidiary banks by law and regulatory policy that are designed to minimize potential loss to the depositors of such depository institutions and the FDIC insurance fund in the event of a depository institution default. For example, under the Federal Deposit Insurance Company Improvement Act of 1991, to avoid receivership of an insured depository institution subsidiary, a bank holding company is required to guarantee the compliance of any subsidiary bank that may become “undercapitalized” with the terms of any capital restoration plan filed by such subsidiary with its appropriate federal bank regulatory agency up to the lesser of (i) an amount equal to 5% of the institution’s total assets at the time the institution became undercapitalized, or (ii) the amount that is necessary (or would have been necessary) to bring the institution into compliance with all applicable capital standards as of the time the institution fails to comply with such capital restoration plan.

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA), the federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted guidelines prescribing safety and soundness standards. These guidelines establish general standards relating to internal controls and information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth and compensation, fees and benefits. In general, the guidelines require, among other things, appropriate systems and practices to identify and manage the risk and exposures specified in the guidelines.

Capital Requirements. Pursuant to the Small Bank Holding Company and Savings and Loan Holding Company Policy Statement, qualifying bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $3 billion, such as the Company, are not subject to consolidated regulatory capital requirements. Certain capital requirements applicable to the Bank are described below under “The Bank-Capital Requirements”. Subject to its capital requirements and certain other restrictions, the Company is able to borrow money to make a capital contribution to the Bank, and such loans may be repaid from dividends paid by the Bank to the Company.

Limits on Dividends and Other Payments. The Company is a legal entity, separate and distinct from its subsidiaries. A significant portion of the revenues of the Company result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. There are various legal limitations applicable to the payment of dividends by the Bank to the Company and to the payment of dividends by the Company to its shareholders. The Bank is subject to various statutory restrictions on its ability to pay dividends to the Company. Under the current supervisory practices of the Bank’s regulatory agencies, prior approval from those agencies is required if cash dividends declared in any given year exceed net income for that year, plus retained net profits of the two preceding years. The payment of dividends by the Bank or the Company may be limited by other factors, such as requirements to maintain capital above regulatory guidelines. Bank regulatory agencies have the authority to prohibit the Bank or the Company from engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice in conducting their business. The payment of dividends, depending on the financial condition of the Bank, or the Company, could be deemed to constitute such an unsafe or unsound practice. In addition, under the current supervisory practices of the Federal Reserve, the Company should inform and consult with its regulators reasonably in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period (e.g., quarter) for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the Company's capital structure.

The Company’s subordinated debt is senior in right of payment compared to its common stock and all current and future junior subordinated debt obligations. Following the occurrence of any event of default on its subordinated debt, the Company may not make any payments on its junior subordinated debt; declare or pay any dividends on its common stock; redeem or otherwise acquire any of its common stock; or make any other distributions with respect to its common stock or set aside any monies or properties for such purposes. The Company is current in its interest payments on subordinated debt.

The Company's ability to pay dividends on common stock is also limited by contractual restrictions under its junior subordinated debt. Interest must be paid on the junior subordinated debt before dividends may be paid to common shareholders. The Company is current in its interest payments on junior subordinated debt; however, it has the right to defer distributions on its junior subordinated debt, during which time no dividends may be paid on its common stock. If the Company does not have sufficient earnings in the future and begins to defer distributions on the junior subordinated debt, it will be unable to pay dividends on its common stock until it becomes current on those distributions.

The Bank

General. The Bank is supervised and regularly examined by the Federal Reserve and the SCC.SCC's Bureau of Financial Institutions. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory agencies affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, incurrence of debt, and acquisition of financial institutions and other companies; they also affect business practices, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, types of business conducted, and location of offices. Certain of these law and regulations are referenced above under “The Company.”

Capital Requirements. The Federal Reserve and the other federal banking agencies have issued risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to U. S. banking organizations. In addition, those regulatory agencies may from time to time require that a banking organization maintain capital above the minimum levels because of its financial condition or actual or anticipated growth.

Effective January 1, 2015, the Bank became subject to capital rules adopted by federal bank regulators implementing the Basel III regulatory capital reforms adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the Basel Committee), and certain changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

The minimum capital level requirements applicable to the Bank under the rules are as follows: a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%; a Tier 1 capital ratio of 6%; a total capital ratio of 8%; and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4% for all institutions. The final rules also established a “capital conservation buffer” above the new regulatory minimum capital requirements of 2.5% of risk-weighted assets. This resulted in the following minimum capital ratios beginning in 2019: a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 7.0%, a Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5%, and a total capital ratio of 10.5%. Under the rules, institutions are subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses if its capital level falls below the buffer amount. These limitations establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that could be utilized for such actions. Management believes, as of December 31, 20202022 and December 31, 2019,2021, that the Bank met all capital adequacy requirements to which it is subject, including the capital conservation buffer.

The following table shows the Bank’s regulatory capital ratios at December 31, 2020:2022:

The rules also contain revisions to the prompt corrective action framework, which is designed to place restrictions on insured depository institutions if their capital levels begin to show signs of weakness. Under the prompt corrective action requirements, which are designed to complement the capital conservation buffer, insured depository institutions are required to meet the following capital level requirements in order to qualify as “well capitalized:” a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.5%; a Tier 1 capital ratio of 8%; a total capital ratio of 10%; and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5%. The Bank met the requirements to qualify as "well capitalized" as of December 31, 20202022 and December 31, 2019.2021.

In December 2017, the Basel Committee published standards that it described as the finalization of the Basel III post-crisis regulatory reforms (the standards are commonly referred to as “Basel IV”4”). Among other things, these standards revised the Basel Committee’s standardized approach for credit risk (including by recalibrating risk weights and introducing new capital requirements for certain “unconditionally cancellable commitments,” such as unused credit card lines of credit) and provided a new standardized approach for operational risk capital. Under the proposed framework, these standards will generally beare to become effective on January 1, 2022,2023, with an aggregate output floor phasing-in through January 1, 2027.2028. Under the current capital rules, operational risk capital requirements and a capital floor apply only to advanced approaches institutions, and not to the Company. The impact of Basel IV4 on the Company and the Bank will depend on the manner in which it is implemented by the federal bank regulatory agencies.

On September 17, 2019 the FDIC finalized a rule that introduced an optional simplified measure of capital adequacy for qualifying community banking organizations (i.e., the community bank leverage ratio (CBLR) framework), as required by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (the Economic Growth Act). The CBLR framework is designed to reduce burden by removing the requirements for calculating and reporting risk-based capital ratios for qualifying community banking organizations that opt into the framework.

In order to qualify for the CBLR framework, a community banking organization must have a tier 1 leverage ratio greater than 9%, have less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, and limited amounts of off-balance sheet exposures and trading assets and liabilities.  The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act temporarily lowered the tier 1 leverage ratio requirement to 8% until December 31, 2020. A qualifying community banking organization that opts into the CBLR framework and meets all requirements under the framework will be considered to have met the "well-capitalized" ratio requirements under the prompt corrective action regulations and will not be required to report or calculate risk-based capital. Although the Bank didhas not optopted into the CBLR framework, at December 31, 2020, it may opt into the CBLR framework in a future quarterly period. For further discussion regarding the CARES Act, see "CARES Act" below.

DepositInsurance. Substantially all of the deposits of the Bank are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (the DIF) of the FDIC and are subject to deposit insurance assessments to maintain the DIF. On April 1, 2011, theThe deposit insurance assessment base changed from total deposits tois based on average total assets minus average tangible equity, pursuant to a rule issued by the FDIC as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

The FDIA, as amended by the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, requires the FDIC to set a ratio of deposit insurance reserves to estimated insured depositsdeposits of at least 1.35%.  On October 18, 2022, the FDIC adopted a final rule to increase base deposit insurance assessment rate schedules uniformly by 2 basis points beginning in the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The increase is being instituted to account for extraordinary growth in insured deposits during the first and second quarters of 2020, which caused a substantial decrease in the “reserve ratio” of the DIF to total industry deposits. The FDIC has indicated that the new assessment rate schedules will remain in effect until the DIF reserve ratio meets or exceeds 2 percent.

On April 26, 2016, the FDIC adopted a final rule to amend how small banks are assessed deposit insurance. The final rule, which was effective the quarter after the DIF reached 1.15%, revised the calculation of deposit insurance assessments for insured institutions with less than $10 billion in assets that have been FDIC insured for at least five years (established small banks). The rule updated the data are calculated based on risk-based assessments using examination rulings and revised the methodology that the FDIC uses to determine risk-based assessmentsfinancial modeling to better capture the risk that an established small bank poses to the DIF and to ensure that institutions that take on greater risks have higher assessments. The rule eliminated the previous risk categories in favor of an assessment schedule based on examination ratings and financial modeling. The DIF reached 1.15% effective as of June 30, 2016, lowering the assessment rates to between 3 to 30 basis points for established small banks, subject to a decrease for issuance of long-term unsecured debt, including senior unsecured debt and subordinated debt and an increase for holdings of long-term unsecured or subordinated debt issued by other insured banks. Due to the Bank’s examination ratings and financial ratios, the Bank experienced lower deposit insurance assessment rates as a result of the changes put into effect on July 1, 2016. The reserve ratio reached 1.35% during the third quarter of 2018.

In addition, all FDIC insured institutions are required to pay assessments to the FDIC at an annual rate of approximately one basis point of insured deposits to fund interest payments on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation, an agency of the federal government established to recapitalize the predecessor to the Savings Association Insurance Fund. These assessments were required until the Financing Corporation bonds matured in 2019.

Transactions with Affiliates. Pursuant to Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W, the authority of the Bank to engage in transactions with related parties or “affiliates” or to make loans to insiders is limited. Loan transactions with an affiliate generally must be collateralized and certain transactions between the Bank and its affiliates, including the sale of assets, the payment of money or the provision of services, must be on terms and conditions that are substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the Bank, as those prevailing for comparable nonaffiliated transactions. In addition, the Bank generally may not purchase securities issued or underwritten by affiliates.

Loans to executive officers, directors or to any person who directly or indirectly, or acting through or in concert with one or more persons, owns, controls or has the power to vote more than 10% of any class of voting securities of a bank (a “10% Shareholder”), are subject to Sections 22(g) and 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act and their corresponding regulations (Regulation O) and Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act relating to the prohibition on personal loans to executives (which exempts financial institutions in compliance with the insider lending restrictions of Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act). Among other things, these loans must be made on terms substantially the same as those prevailing on transactions made to unaffiliated individuals and certain extensions of credit to those persons must first be approved in advance by a disinterested majority of the entire board of directors. Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act prohibits loans to any of those individuals where the aggregate amount exceeds an amount equal to 15% of an institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus plus an additional 10% of unimpaired capital and surplus in the case of loans that are fully secured by readily marketable collateral, or when the aggregate amount on all of the extensions of credit outstanding to all of these persons would exceed the Bank’s unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus. Section 22(g) of the Federal Reserve Act identifies limited circumstances in which the Bank is permitted to extend credit to executive officers.

Prompt Corrective Action. Immediately upon becoming “undercapitalized,” a depository institution becomes subject to the provisions of Section 38 of the FDIA, which: (i) restrict payment of capital distributions and management fees; (ii) require that the appropriate federal banking agency monitor the condition of the institution and its efforts to restore its capital; (iii) require submission of a capital restoration plan; (iv) restrict the growth of the institution’s assets; and (v) require prior approval of certain expansion proposals. The appropriate federal banking agency for an undercapitalized institution also may take any number of discretionary supervisory actions if the agency determines that any of these actions is necessary to resolve the problems of the institution at the least possible long-term cost to the DIF, subject in certain cases to specified procedures. These discretionary supervisory actions include: (i) requiring the institution to raise additional capital; (ii) restricting transactions with affiliates; (iii) requiring divestiture of the institution or the sale of the institution to a willing purchaser; and (iv) any other supervisory action that the agency deems appropriate. These and additional mandatory and permissive supervisory actions may be taken with respect to significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized institutions. The Bank met the definition of “well capitalized” as of December 31, 2020.2022.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Bank is subject to the requirements of the CRA. The CRA imposes on financial institutions an affirmative and ongoing obligation to meet the credit needs of the local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. If the Bank receives a rating from the Federal Reserve of less than "satisfactory" under the CRA, restrictions on operating activities could be imposed. In 2018,2021, the most recent notificationnotification from the Federal Reserve, the Bank received a "satisfactory" CRA rating.

In May 2022, the federal bank regulatory agencies jointly issued a proposed rule intended to strengthen and modernize the CRA regulatory framework.  If implemented, the rule would, among other things, (i) expand access to credit, investment and basic banking services in low- and moderate-income communities, (ii) adapt to changes in the banking industry, including internet and mobile banking, (iii) provide greater clarity, consistency and transparency in the application of the regulations and (iv) tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size, business model, and local conditions.

Privacy Legislation. Several regulations issued by federal banking agencies also provide new protections against the transfer and use of customer information by financial institutions. A financial institution must provide to its customers information regarding its policies and procedures with respect to the handling of customers’ personal information. Each institution must conduct an internal risk assessment of its ability to protect customer information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated parties without prior notice and approval from the customer.

Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Regulations.  The Bank is subject to several federal laws that are designed to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and transactions with persons, companies or foreign governments designated by U.S. authorities (“AML laws”). This category of laws includes the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.  The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, the most sweeping anti-money laundering legislation in 20 years, requires various federal agencies to promulgate regulations implementing a number of its provisions.

The AML laws and their implementing regulations require insured depository institutions, broker-dealers, and certain other financial institutions to have policies, procedures, and controls to detect, prevent, and report money laundering and terrorist financing. The AML laws and their regulations also provide for information sharing, subject to conditions, between federal law enforcement agencies and financial institutions, as well as among financial institutions, for counter-terrorism purposes. Federal banking regulators are required, when reviewing bank holding company acquisition and bank merger applications, to take into account the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering activities of the applicants. To comply with these obligations, the Company has implemented appropriate internal practices, procedures, and controls.

Cybersecurity. The federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines for establishing information security standards and cybersecurity programs for implementing safeguards under the supervision of a financial institution’s board of directors. These guidelines, along with related regulatory materials, increasingly focus on risk management and processes related to information technology and the use of third parties in the provision of financial products and services. The federal banking agencies expect financial institutions to establish lines of defense and ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, and also expect financial institutions to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack. If the Bank fails to meet the expectations set forth in this regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory actions and any remediation efforts may require significant resources of the Bank. In addition, all federal and state bank regulatory agencies continue to increase focus on cybersecurity programs and risks as part of regular supervisory exams.

In December 2020,November 2021, the federal banking agencies issuedapproved a notice of proposed rulemakingfinal rule that would requirerequires banking organizations to notify their primary regulator within 36 hours of becoming aware of a “computer-security incident” orthat rises to the level of a “notification incident.” The proposedincident”, among other things, the rule also would require specific and immediate notifications byrequires bank service providers that becometo notify their banking organization customers as soon as possible after becoming aware of similar incidents.

Consumer Laws and Regulations. The Bank is also subject to certain consumer laws and regulations issued thereunder that are designed to protect consumers in transactions with banks. These laws include the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Housing Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, among others. The laws and related regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions transact business with customers. The Bank must comply with the applicable provisions of these consumer protection laws and regulations as part of its ongoing customer relations.

Incentive Compensation. In June 2010, the federal banking agencies issued comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of financial institutions do not undermine the safety and soundness of such institutions by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of a financial institution, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a financial institution’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the institution’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by good corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the financial institution’s board of directors.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of financial institutions, such as the Company, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each financial institution based on the scope and complexity of the institution’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the institution’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the institution’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a financial institution if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the institution’s safety and soundness and the financial institution is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies. At December 31, 2020,2022, the Company had not been made aware of any instances of non-compliance with the guidance.

CARES Act. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, President Trumpthe Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law the CARES Act on March 27, 2020. Among other things, the CARES Act included the following provisions impactingSmall Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program. The CARES Act created the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program. Under the Paycheck Protection Program, funds were authorized for small business loans to pay payroll and group health costs, salaries and commissions, mortgage and rent payments, utilities, and interest on other debt. The loans are provided through participating financial institutions:institutions, including the Bank, that process loan applications and service the loans.

Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies

The Company’s operations are affected not only by general economic conditions but also by the policies of various regulatory authorities. In particular, the Federal Reserve regulates money and credit conditions and interest rates to influence general economic conditions. These policies have a significant impact on overall growth and distribution of loans, investments and deposits; they affect interest rates charged on loans or paid for time and savings deposits. Federal Reserve monetary policies have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks, including the Company, in the past and are expected to do so in the future.

Future Legislation and Regulation

Congress may enact legislation from time to time that affects the regulation of the financial services industry, and state legislatures may enact legislation from time to time affecting the regulation of financial institutions chartered by or operating in those states. Federal and state regulatory agencies also periodically propose and adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. The substance or impact of pending or future legislation or regulation, or the application thereof, cannot be predicted, although enactment of any proposed legislation could impact the regulatory structure under which the Company and the Bank operate and may significantly increase costs, impede the efficiency of internal business processes, require an increase in regulatory capital, require modifications to business strategy, and limit the ability to pursue business opportunities in an efficient manner. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Company or the Bank are difficult to predict, and could have a material, adverse effect on the business, financial condition and results of operations of the Company and the Bank.

Item 1A.    Risk Factors

An investment in the Company’s securities involves risks. In addition to the other information set forth in this report, investors in the Company’s securities should carefully consider the factors discussed below. These factors could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and capital position, and could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from its historical results or the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report, in which case the trading price of the Company’s securities could decline.

Risks Related To The Company’s Business

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemicRisks Related to our Lending Activities and measures intended to prevent its spread may adversely affect the Company'sbusiness, financial condition and operations; the extent of such impacts are highly uncertain and difficult to predict.Economic Conditions

Global healthOur business is subject to various lending and other economic concerns relating torisks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Deterioration in economic conditions could adversely affect our business. Our business is directly affected by general economic and market conditions; broad trends in industry and finance; legislative and regulatory changes; changes in governmental monetary and fiscal policies; changes in interest rates; and inflation, all of which are beyond our control.  Although the domestic and global economies have largely recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak and government actions taken to reduce the spreadpandemic, certain consequences of the virus have had a material adversepandemic continue to impact on the macroeconomic environment and may persist for some time.  For example, the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty. TheCOVID-19 pandemic has resultedcould have long-lasting impacts certain industries due to changes in federal, state and local authorities, including those who govern the markets in which we operate, implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus. These measures, including shelter in place ordersconsumer behavior and business limitationspractices, including remote work and shutdowns, have significantlybusiness travel.  Further, the growth in economic activity and in the demand for goods and services, coupled with labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and other factors, has contributed to rising unemployment and negatively impacted consumer and business spending.

The COVID-19 outbreak has adversely impacted and is likely to continue to adversely impactinflationary pressures, the Company's workforce and operationsFederal Reserve’s responsive interest rate hikes, and the operationsrisk of its customers and business partners. In particular, the Company may experience adverse effects due to a number of operational factors impacting it or its customers or business partners, including but not limited to:

The extent to which the pandemic impacts the Company's business, liquidity, financial condition and operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, its duration and severity, the actions to contain it or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. In addition, the rapidly changing and unprecedented nature of COVID-19 heightens the inherent uncertainty of forecasting future economic conditions, and their impact onin particular a prolonged economic slowdown within our geographic region or a broader disruption in the Company's loan portfolio, thereby increasing the risk that the assumptions, judgments and estimates used to determine the allowance for loan losses and other estimates are incorrect. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the Bank modified certain loan agreements to provide payment relief to its customers experiencing business interruptions from the pandemic by providing interest only payments for periods ranging between 6 and 24 months. The extent of asset quality deterioration that could result from the modified loans may be impacted by the continuation of customers’ business interruptions beyond the modification periods. Aseconomy, including as a result of these anda pandemic or other conditions, the ultimate impact of the pandemic is highly uncertain and subject to change, and the Company cannot predict the full extent of the impacts on its business, its operations or the global economy as a whole.

Dependence on uncontrollable economic conditionswidespread public health emergency, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Like all financial institutions, we are subject to the effects of any economic downturn. Our business is concentratedresult in the northern Shenandoah Valleyfollowing consequences, any of which could hurt our business materially: an increase in loan delinquencies; an increase in problem assets and foreclosures; a decline in demand for our products and services; a deterioration in the central regionsvalue of Virginia. As a result,collateral for loans made by our financial conditionvarious business segments; and results of operations may be affected by changes in the economiesfair value of these regions. financial instruments held by the Company or its subsidiaries.

Adverse changes in economic conditions in our market areas would likely impair the ability to collect loans, increase problem assets and foreclosures, decrease demand for banking products and services, deteriorate the value of collateral for loans, andor adverse conditions in an industry on which a local market in which we do business is dependent could otherwise have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. As a result, a deterioration in economic conditions may have a negative effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.

The inability of the Company to successfully manage its growth or implement its growth strategy may adversely affect the Company’sour results of operations and financial condition.

We provide full-service banking and other financial services throughout the Company’s market areas, which include the Shenandoah Valley, Roanoke Valley, Richmond, and central regions of Virginia. Our loan and deposit activities are directly affected by, and our financial success depends on, economic conditions within these markets, as well as conditions in the industries on which those markets are economically dependent. A deterioration in local economic conditions or in the condition of an industry on which a local market depends could adversely affect such factors as unemployment rates, business formations and expansions and housing market conditions. Adverse developments in any of these factors could result in among other things, a decline in loan demand, a reduction in the number of credit-worthy borrowers seeking loans, an increase in delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures, an increase in classified and nonaccrual loans, a decrease in the value of loan collateral, and a decline in the financial condition of borrowers and guarantors, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition or business.

The Company’s allowance for loan losses may prove to be insufficient to absorb losses in its loan portfolio.

Like all financial institutions, the Company maintains an allowance for loan losses to provide for loans that its borrowers may not repay in their entirety. The Company believes that it maintains an allowance for loan losses at a level adequate to absorb probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio as of the corresponding balance sheet date and in compliance with applicable accounting and regulatory guidance. However, the allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover actual loan losses and future provisions for loan losses could materially and adversely affect the Company’s operating results. Accounting measurements related to impairment and the allowance for loan losses require significant estimates that are subject to uncertainty and changes relating to new information and changing circumstances. The significant uncertainties surrounding the ability of the Company’s borrowers to execute their business models successfully through changing economic environments, competitive challenges, and other factors complicate the Company’s estimates of the risk of loss and amount of loss on any loan. Because of the degree of uncertainty and susceptibility of these factors to change, the actual losses may vary from current estimates. The Company expects fluctuations in the loan loss provisions due to the uncertain economic conditions.

The CompanyCompany’s banking regulators, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the allowance for loan losses and may not be able to successfully implement its growth strategy if it is unable to expand market share in existing locations, identify attractive markets, locations, or opportunities to expand in the future. In addition, the ability to manage growth successfully depends on whether the Company can maintain adequate capital levels, maintain cost controls, effectively manage asset quality, and successfully integrate any expanded business divisions or acquired businesses into the organization.

As the Company continues to implement its growth strategy by opening new branches or acquiring branches or banks, it expects to incur increased personnel, occupancy, and other operating expenses. In the case of new branches, the Company must absorb those higher expenses while it begins to generate new deposits. In the case of acquired branches, the Company must absorb higher expenses while it begins deploying the newly assumed deposit liabilities. With either new branches opened or branches acquired, there would be a time lag involved in deploying new deposits into attractively priced loans and other higher yielding earning assets. Thus, the Company’s plans to expand could depress earnings in the short run, even if it efficiently executes a branching strategy leading to long-term financial benefits.

Difficulties in combining the operations of new or acquired bank branches or entities with the Company’s own operations may prevent the Company from achieving the expected benefits from acquisitions.

The Company may not be able to achieve fully the strategic objectives and operating efficiencies expected in opening a new branch or through an acquisition. Inherent uncertainties exist in integrating the operations of a new or acquired entity or acquired branches. In addition, the markets and industries in which the Company and its potential new branch locations or acquisition targets operate may be highly competitive. The Company may lose customers or the customers of acquired entities as a result of an acquisition; the Company may lose key personnel, either from the acquired entity or from itself; and the Company may not be able to control the incremental increase in noninterest expense arising from a new branch location or acquisition in a manner that improves its overall operating efficiencies. These factors could contribute to the Company’s not achieving the expected benefits from its new branch locations or acquisitions within desired time frames, if at all. Future business acquisitions could be material to the Company and it may issue additional shares of common stock to support those acquisitions, which would dilute current shareholders’ ownership interests. Acquisitions could also require the Company to use substantial cash or other liquid assetsincrease its allowance for loan losses by recognizing additional provisions for loan losses charged to expense, or to incur debt;decrease the Company could therefore become more susceptible to economic downturns and competitive pressures.

Strong competition in our primary market area may limit asset growth and profitability.

We encounter strong competition from other financial institutions in our primary market area. In addition, established financial institutions not already operating in our primary market area may open branches at future dates. In the conductallowance for loan losses by recognizing loan charge-offs, net of certain aspects of our business, we also compete with credit unions, mortgage banking companies, consumer finance companies, insurance companies, real estate companies, Fintech, and other institutions, some of which are not subject to the same degree of regulationrecoveries. Any such required additional provisions for loan losses or restrictions as are imposed upon us. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we have and offer services that we do not provide. In addition, many of these competitors have numerous branch offices located throughout their extended market areas that provide them with a competitive advantage. Finally, these institutions may have differing pricing and underwriting standards, which may adversely affect our company through the loss of business or causing a misalignment in our risk-return relationship. No assurance can be given that such competition will not have an adverse impact on the financial condition and results of operations.

The carrying value of intangible assets, such as goodwill and core deposit intangibles, may be adversely affected.

When a Company completes an acquisition, intangibles, such as goodwill and core deposit intangibles, are recorded on the date of acquisition as an asset. Current accounting guidance requires an evaluation for impairment, and the Company would perform such impairment analysis at least annually. A significant adverse change in expected future cash flows, sustained adverse change in the Company’s common stock, or a decline in core deposit balances could require the asset to become impaired. If impaired, the Company would incur a charge to earnings that could have a significant impact on the results of operations.

The Company is subject to claims and litigation pertaining to fiduciary responsibility.

From time to time, customers make claims and take legal action pertaining to the performance of the Company’s fiduciary responsibilities. Whether customer claims and legal action related to the performance of the Company’s fiduciary responsibilities are founded or unfounded, if such claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to the Company, they may result in significant financial liability and/or adversely affect the market perception of the Company and its products and services, as well as impact customer demand for those products and services. Any financial liability or reputation damage could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, which, in turn,charge-offs could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The Company’s concentration in loans secured by real estate may adversely affect earnings due to changes in the real estate markets.

The Company offers a variety of secured loans, including commercial lines of credit, commercial term loans, real estate, construction, home equity, consumer, and other loans. Many of the Company’s loans are secured by real estate (both residential and commercial) in the Company’s market areas. A major change in the real estate markets, resulting in deterioration in the value of this collateral, or in the local or national economy, could adversely affect borrowers’ ability to pay these loans, which in turn could negatively affect the Company. Risks of loan defaults and foreclosures are unavoidable in the banking industry; the Company tries to limit its exposure to these risks by monitoring extensions of credit carefully. The Company cannot fully eliminate credit risk; thus, credit losses will occur in the future. Additionally, changes in the real estate market also affect the value of foreclosed assets, and therefore, additional losses may occur when management determines it is appropriate to sell the assets.

The Company has a significant exposure in commercial real estate, and loans with this type of collateral are viewed as having more risk of default.

The Company’s commercial real estate portfolio consists primarily of owner-operated properties and other commercial properties. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans. They are also typically larger than residential real estate loans and consumer loans and depend on cash flows from the owner’s business or the property to service the debt. Cash flows may be affected significantly by general economic conditions, and a downturn in the local economy or in occupancy rates in the local economy where the property is located could increase the likelihood of default. Because the Company’s loan portfolio contains a number of commercial real estate loans with relatively large balances, the deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a significant increase in the percentage of non-performing loans. An increase in non-performing loans could result in a loss of earnings from these loans, an increase in the provision for loan losses and an increase in charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition.

The Company’s banking regulators generally give commercial real estate lending greater scrutiny and may require banks with higher levels of commercial real estate loans to implement improved underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies, and portfolio stress testing, as well as possibly higher levels of allowances for losses and capital levels as a result of commercial real estate lending growth and exposures, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations.

The Company’s loan portfolio contains construction and development loans, and a decline in real estate values and economic conditions would adversely affect the value of the collateral securing the loans and have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition.

Although most of the Company’s construction and development loans are secured by real estate, the Company believes that, in the case of the majority of these loans, the real estate collateral by itself may not be a sufficient source for repayment of the loan if real estate values decline. If the Company is required to liquidate the collateral securing a construction and development loan to satisfy the debt, its earnings and capital may be adversely affected. A period of reduced real estate values may continue for some time, resulting in potential adverse effects on the Company’s earnings and capital.

The Company’s credit standards and its on-going credit assessment processes might not protect it from significant credit losses.

The Company assumes credit risk by virtue of making loans and extending loan commitments and letters of credit. The Company manages credit risk through a program of underwriting standards, the review of certain credit decisions and a continuous quality assessment process of credit already extended. The Company’s exposure to credit risk is managed through the use of consistent underwriting standards that emphasize local lending while avoiding highly leveraged transactions as well as excessive industry and other concentrations. The Company’s credit administration function employs risk management techniques to help ensure that problem loans are promptly identified. While these procedures are designed to provide the Company with the information needed to implement policy adjustments where necessary and to take appropriate corrective actions, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding undue credit risk.

Although the Company emphasizes local lending practices, the Company purchases certain loans through a third-party lending program. These portfolios include commercial loans and carry risks associated with the borrower, changes in the economic environment, and the vendor themselves. The Company manages these risks through policies that require minimum credit scores and other underwriting requirements, robust analysis of actual performance versus expected performance, as well as ensuring compliance with the Company's vendor management program. While these policies are designed to manage the risks associated with these loans, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding undue credit losses.

The Company’s focus on lending to small to mid-sized community-based businesses may increase its credit risk.

Most of the Company’s commercial business and commercial real estate loans are made to small business or middle market customers. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities and have a heightened vulnerability to economic conditions. If general economic conditions in the market areas in which the Company operates negatively impact this important customer sector, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. Moreover, a portion of these loans have been made by the Company in recent years and the borrowers may not have experienced a complete business or economic cycle. Any deterioration of the borrowers’ businesses may hinder their ability to repay their loans with the Company, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The Company relies upon independent appraisals to determine the value of the real estate which secures a significant portion of its loans, and the values indicated by such appraisals may not be realizable if the Company is forced to foreclose upon such loans.

A significant portion of the Company’s loan portfolio consists of loans secured by real estate. The Company relies upon independent appraisers to estimate the value of such real estate. Appraisals are only estimates of value and the independent appraisers may make mistakes of fact or judgment that adversely affect the reliability of their appraisals. In addition, events occurring after the initial appraisal may cause the value of the real estate to increase or decrease. As a result of any of these factors, the real estate securing some of the Company’s loans may be more or less valuable than anticipated at the time the loans were made. If a default occurs on a loan secured by real estate that is less valuable than originally estimated, the Company may not be able to recover the outstanding balance of the loan.

The Company depends on the accuracy and completeness of information about clients and counterparties, and its financial condition could be adversely affected if it relies on misleading information.

In deciding whether to extend credit or to enter into other transactions with clients and counterparties, the Company may rely on information furnished to it by or on behalf of clients and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information, which the Company does not independently verify. The Company also may rely on representations of clients and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. For example, in deciding whether to extend credit to clients, the Company may assume that a customer’s audited financial statements conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows of the customer. The Company’s financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted to the extent it relies on financial statements that do not comply with GAAP or are materially misleading.

LossNonperforming assets take significant time to resolve and adversely affect the Company’s results of any of our key personnel could disrupt our operations and financial condition.

Nonperforming assets adversely affect the Company in various ways. The Company does not record interest income on nonaccrual loans, which adversely affects its income and increases loan administration costs. When the Company receives collateral through foreclosures and similar proceedings, it is required to mark the related loan to the then fair market value of the collateral less estimated selling costs, which may result in reduced revenuesa loss. An increase in the level of nonperforming assets also increases the Company’s risk profile, which may reduce the amount of liquidity available to the Company and require a higher level of capital in light of such risks. The Company utilizes various techniques such as workouts, restructurings, and loan sales to manage problem assets. Increases in or increased expenses.negative adjustments in the value of these problem assets, the underlying collateral, or in the borrowers’ performance or financial condition, could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, the resolution of nonperforming assets requires significant commitments of time from management and staff, which can be detrimental to the performance of their other responsibilities, including origination of new loans. There can be no assurance that the Company will avoid increases in nonperforming assets in the future.

We are a relationship-driven organization. subject to environmental liability risk associated with our lending activities.

A key aspectsignificant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real property. During the ordinary course of business, strategywe may foreclose on and take title to properties securing certain loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. If hazardous or toxic substances are found, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage. Environmental laws may require us to incur substantial expenses and may materially reduce the affected property’s value or limit our senior officersability to have primary contact with our customers. Our growth and development to date have been, in large part, a result of these personalized relationships with our customer base.

Our senior officers have considerable experience inuse or sell the banking industry and related financial services and are extremely valuable and would be difficult to replace. The loss of the services of these officers could have a material adverse effect uponaffected property. In addition, future prospects. Although we have entered into employment contracts with certain senior officers, we cannot offer any assurance that they and other key employees will remain employed by us. The unexpected loss of services of onelaws or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Environmental reviews of these key employeesreal property before initiating foreclosure actions may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. Remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Weakness in the secondary residential mortgage loan markets or demand for mortgage loans may adversely affect income.

Our mortgage department contributes to our noninterest income. We generate income from brokered mortgage loans and gains on sales of mortgage loans primarily from loans that we source and/or originate. Interest rates, housing inventory, housing demand, cash buyers, new mortgage lending regulations and other market conditions have a direct effect on loan originations across the industry. During 2022, revenues from mortgage banking decreased significantly, primarily due to lower mortgage volumes as market interest rates increased and the demand for mortgages declined. Loan production levels may continue to suffer if there is a sustained slowdown in the housing markets in which the Company conducts business or tightening credit conditions. Any sustained period of decreased activity caused by an economic downturn, fewer refinancing transactions, higher interest rates, housing price pressure, or loan underwriting restrictions would adversely affect the Company’s mortgage originations and, consequently, noninterest income from its mortgage operations. In addition, our results of operations are affected by the amount of noninterest expenses (including for personnel and possibly resultsystems infrastructure) associated with mortgage banking activities. During periods of reduced loan demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected to the extent that we are unable to reduce expenses commensurate with the decline in reduced revenues or increased expenses.mortgage loan origination activity.

FailureThe Company’s wealth management revenue is directly impacted by the market value of assets under management, which could adversely impact Company profitability.

A significant portion of revenue from wealth management services is based on the market value of assets under management, which may decrease due to a variety of factors including an economic slowdown. Any sustained period of lower market values of assets under management would adversely affect the Company’s wealth management revenue and, as a result, would also adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.

Risks Related to our Industry

We are subject to interest rate risk and fluctuations in interest rates may negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our profitability depends in substantial part on our net interest margin, which is the difference between the interest earned on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, and interest paid on deposits and borrowings divided by total interest-earning assets. Changes in interest rates will affect our net interest margin in diverse ways, including the pricing of loans and deposits, the levels of prepayments, and asset quality. We are unable to predict actual fluctuations of market interest rates because many factors influencing interest rates, including changes in economic conditions and monetary policies, which are beyond our control. We believe that our current interest rate exposure is manageable and does not indicate any significant exposure to interest rate changes.  Although the Company does not believe it has significant exposure to changes in interest rates, it could experience pressure on the net interest margin due to intense competition for loans and deposits from both local and national financial institutions. In addition, the Company could experience net interest margin compression if it is unable to maintain effective systemsits current level of internalloans outstanding by continuing to originate new loans or if it experiences a decrease in deposit balances, which would require the Company to seek funding from other sources at higher rates of interest.

In addition, changes in interest rates may negatively affect both the returns on and disclosure controlsmarket value of our investment securities. As we experienced due to rising interest rates in 2022, interest rate changes can reduce unrealized gains or increase unrealized losses in our portfolio and thereby negatively impact our accumulated other comprehensive income and equity levels. Further, such losses could be realized into earnings should liquidity and/or business strategy necessitate the sales of securities in a loss position. Additionally, actual investment income and cash flows from investment securities that carry prepayment risk, such as mortgage-backed securities and callable securities, may materially differ from those anticipated at the time of investment or subsequently as a result of changes in interest rates and market conditions. These occurrences could have a material adverse effect on the Company’sour net interest income or our results of operation and financial condition.operations.

Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for the CompanyWe rely substantially on deposits obtained from customers in our target markets to provide reliable financial reportsliquidity and effectively prevent fraud, and to operate successfully as a public company. If the Company cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, its reputation and operating results would be harmed. As part of the Company’s ongoing monitoring of internal controls, it may discover material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in its internal control that require remediation. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.support growth.

The Company continually worksWe require sufficient liquidity to fund asset growth, meet customer loan requests, customer deposit maturities and withdrawals, make payments on improving its internal controls. However, the Company cannotour debt obligations as they come due and other cash commitments.  Our business strategy is based primarily on access to funding from local customer deposits. Deposit levels may be certain that these measures will ensure that it implements and maintains adequate controls over its financial processes and reporting. Any failureaffected by a number of factors, including interest rates paid by competitors, general interest rate levels, returns available to maintain effective controls or to timely implement any necessary improvement of the Company’s internal and disclosure controls could, among other things, result in losses from fraud or error, harm the Company’s reputation, or cause investors to lose confidencecustomers on alternative investments, changes in the Company’s reported financial information, allliquidity needs of whichour depositors and general economic conditions that affect savings levels and the amount of liquidity in the economy, including government stimulus efforts in response to economic crises. If market interest rates rise or our competitors raise the rates they pay on deposits, our funding costs may increase, either because we raise our rates to avoid losing deposits or because we lose deposits and must rely on more expensive sources of funding.  Either of these factors could reduce our net interest margin and net interest income and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’sour business, financial condition, results of operationoperations and cash flows from operations.

Further, if local customer deposits are not sufficient to fund our normal operations and growth, we may rely on secondary sources of liquidity, such as brokered deposits, borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLB), federal funds lines of credit from correspondent banks, and borrowings from the Federal Reserve Discount Window; however, there can be no assurance that these arrangements will be available to us when needed on favorable terms, or at all, or that they will be sufficient to meet future liquidity needs.  For example, our ability to access borrowings from the FHLB will be dependent upon whether and the extent to which we can provide collateral to secure FHLB borrowings, and our use of brokered deposits may be limited or discouraged by our banking regulators. We also may need to raise funds through the issuance of debt or equity securities, or the sale of investment securities or loans, as additional sources of liquidity. If we are unable to access funding sufficient to support our business operations and growth strategies or are unable to access such funding on attractive terms, we may not be able to implement our business strategies or satisfy our obligations.

Consumers may increasingly decide not to use banks to complete their financial condition.transactions, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and operations.

Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. For example, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds, general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards, or in other types of assets, including crypto currencies or other digital assets. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The loss of these revenue streams and the loss of deposits as a lower cost source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strong competition in our primary market area may limit asset growth and profitability.

We encounter strong competition from other financial institutions in our primary market area. In addition, established financial institutions not already operating in our primary market area may open branches at future dates. In the conduct of certain aspects of our business, we also compete with credit unions, mortgage banking companies, consumer finance companies, insurance companies, real estate companies, Fintech, and other institutions, some of which are not subject to the same degree of regulation or restrictions as are imposed upon us. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we have and offer services that we do not provide. In addition, many of these competitors have numerous branch offices located throughout their extended market areas that may provide them with a competitive advantage. Finally, these institutions may have differing pricing and underwriting standards, which may adversely affect our company through the loss of business or causing a misalignment in our risk-return relationship. No assurance can be given that such competition will not have an adverse impact on the financial condition and results of operations.

The carrying value of intangible assets, such as goodwill and core deposit intangibles, may be adversely affected.

When the Company completes an acquisition, intangibles, such as goodwill and core deposit intangibles, are recorded on the date of acquisition as an asset. Current accounting guidance requires an evaluation for impairment, and the Company performs such impairment analysis at least annually. A significant adverse change in expected future cash flows, sustained adverse change in the Company’s common stock, or a decline in core deposit balances could require the asset to become impaired. If impaired, the Company would incur a charge to earnings that could have a significant impact on the results of operations.

There are risks resulting from the use of models in our business.

We rely on quantitative models to measure risks and to estimate certain financial values. Models may be used in such processes as determining the pricing of various products, grading loans and extending credit, measuring interest rate and other market risks, predicting or estimating losses, assessing capital adequacy and calculating economic and regulatory capital levels, as well as to estimate the value of financial instruments and balance sheet items. Poorly designed or implemented models present the risk that our business decisions based on information incorporating model output would be adversely affected due to the inadequacy of that information. Also, information we provide to the public or to our regulators based on poorly designed or implemented models could be inaccurate or misleading.

Risks Related to Operations and Technology

The Company’s risk-management framework may not be effective in mitigating risk and loss.

The Company maintains an enterprise risk management program that is designed to identify, quantify, monitor, report, and control the risks that it faces. These risks include: interest-rate,include interest rate, credit, liquidity, operations, reputation, compliance, and litigation. While the Company assesses and improves this program on an ongoing basis, there can be no assurance that its approach and framework for risk management and related controls will effectively mitigate all risk and limit losses in its business. If conditions or circumstances arise that expose flaws or gaps in the Company’s risk-management program, or if its controls break down, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Negative public opinion could damage the Company's reputation and adversely impact liquidity and profitability.

As a financial institution, the Company’s earnings, liquidity, and capital are subject to risks associated with negative public opinion of the Company and of the financial services industry as a whole. Negative public opinion could result from the Company's actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, the failure of any product or service sold by it to meet its clients’ expectations or applicable regulatory requirements, corporate governance and acquisitions, or from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect the Company's ability to keep, attract and/or retain customers and can expose it to litigation and regulatory action. Negative public opinion could also affect the Company's ability to borrow funds in the unsecured wholesale debt markets.

Negative perception of the Company through social media may adversely affect the Company’s reputation and business.

The Company’s reputation is critical to the success of its business. The Company believes that its brand image has been well received by customers, reflecting the fact that the brand image, like the Company’s business, is based in part on trust and confidence. The Company’s reputation and brand image could be negatively affected by rapid and widespread distribution of publicity through social media channels. The Company’s reputation could also be affected by the Company’s association with clients affected negatively through social media distribution, or other third parties, or by circumstances outside of the Company’s control. Negative publicity, whether true or untrue, could affect the Company’s ability to attract or retain customers, or cause the Company to incur additional liabilities or costs, or result in additional regulatory scrutiny.

Loss of deposits or a change in deposit mix could increase our funding costs.

Deposits are a low cost and stable source of funding. We compete with banks and other financial institutions for deposits. Funding costs may increase because we may lose deposits and replace them with more expensive sources of funding, clients may shift their deposits into higher cost products or we may need to raise interest rates to avoid losing deposits. Higher funding costs reduce our net interest margin, net interest income and net income.

Changes in interest rates could adversely affect the Company’s income and cash flows.

The Company’s income and cash flows depend to a great extent on the difference between the interest rates earned on interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and the interest rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. These rates are highly sensitive to many factors beyond the Company’s control, including general economic conditions and the policies of the Federal Reserve and other governmental and regulatory agencies. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, will influence the origination of loans, the prepayment of loans, the purchase of investments, the generation of deposits, and the rates received on loans and investment securities and paid on deposits or other sources of funding. The impact of these changes may be magnified if the Company does not effectively manage the relative sensitivity of its assets and liabilities to changes in market interest rates. In addition, the Company’s ability to reflect such interest rate changes in pricing its products is influenced by competitive pressures. Fluctuations in these areas may adversely affect the Company and its shareholders. The Company is often at a competitive disadvantage in managing its costs of funds compared to the large regional or national banks that have access to the national and international capital markets.

The Company generally seeks to maintain a neutral position in terms of the volume of assets and liabilities that mature or re-price during any period so that it may reasonably maintain its net interest margin; however, interest rate fluctuations, loan prepayments, loan production, deposit flows, and competitive pressures are constantly changing and influence the ability to maintain a neutral position. Generally, the Company’s earnings will be more sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates depending upon the variance in volume of assets and liabilities that mature and re-price in any period. The extent and duration of the sensitivity will depend on the cumulative variance over time, the velocity and direction of changes in interest rates, shape and slope of the yield curve, and whether the Company is more asset sensitive or liability sensitive. Accordingly, the Company may not be successful in maintaining a neutral position and, as a result, the Company’s net interest margin may be affected.

Liquidity could be impaired by an inability to access the capital markets or an unforeseen outflow of cash.

Liquidity is essential to our businesses. Due to circumstances that we may be unable to control, such as a general market disruption or an operational problem that affects third parties or the Company, our liquidity could be impaired by an inability to access the capital markets or an unforeseen outflow of cash or deposits which could constrain our ability to make new loans or meet our existing commitments to loan and deposit customers and could ultimately jeopardize our overall liquidity and capitalization.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect the Company.

The Company’s ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. As a result, defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services institutions, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and could lead to losses or defaults by the Company or by other institutions. Many of these transactions expose the Company to credit risk in the event of default of its counterparty or client. There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.

The Company’s exposure to operational, technological, and organizational risk may adversely affect the Company.

Similar to other financial institutions, the Company is exposed to many types of operational and technological risk, including reputation, legal, and compliance risk. The Company’s ability to grow and compete is dependent on its ability to build or acquire the necessary operational and technological infrastructure and to manage the cost of that infrastructure while it expands and integrates acquired businesses. Operational risk can manifest itself in many ways, such as errors related to failed or inadequate processes, faulty or disabled computer systems, occurrences of fraud by employees or persons outside of the Company, and exposure to external events. The Company is dependent on its operational infrastructure to help manage these risks. From time to time, it may need to change or upgrade its technology infrastructure. The Company may experience disruption, and it may face additional exposure to these risks during the course of making such changes. If the Company would acquire another financial institution or bank branch operations, it would face additional challenges when integrating different operational platforms. Such integration efforts may be more disruptive to the business and/or more costly than anticipated.

The Company relies on other companies to provide key components of its business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of the Company’s business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections, and network access. While the Company has selected these third party vendors carefully, it does not control their actions. Any problem caused by these third parties, including poor performance of services, failure to provide services, disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor and failure to handle current or higher volumes, could adversely affect the Company’s ability to deliver products and services to its customers and otherwise conduct its business, and may harm its reputation. Financial or operational difficulties of a third party vendor could also hurt the Company’s operations if those difficulties affect the vendor’s ability to serve the Company. Replacing these third party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to the Company’s business operations.

The operational functions of business counterparties over which the Company may have limited or no control may experience disruptions that could adversely impact the Company.

Every year, retailers and service providers are the target of data systems incursions which result in the thefts of credit and debit card information, online account information, and other financial data of their customers and users. These incursions affect cards issued and deposit accounts maintained by many banks, including the Company. Although our systems are not breached in such incursions, these events can cause the Company to reissue a significant number of cards and take other costly steps to avoid significant theft loss to the Company and its customers. In some cases, the Company may be required to reimburse customers for the losses they incur. Other possible points of intrusion or disruption not within the Company’s control include internet service providers, electronic mail portal providers, social media portals, distant-server (“cloud”) service providers, electronic data security providers, telecommunications companies, and smart phone manufacturers.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability or result in the loss of money, which could damage our reputation and our business.

We rely on the secure processing, storage, and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of a possible security breach, our computer systems, software, and networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, or other malicious code, and other events that could have a security impact. To date, the Company has not experienced a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, but the Company’s systems and those of its customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that the Company could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by the Company and its customers. If one or more such events occur, this potentially could jeopardize our customers’ confidential and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our or our customers’ operations or result in the loss of money. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance maintained by us.

Security breaches in our internet banking activities could further expose us to possible liability, financial loss, and damage to our reputation. Any compromise of our security also could deter customers from using our internet banking services that involve the transmission of confidential information. We have implemented security systems to provide the security and authentication necessary to effect secure transmission of data. These precautions may not protect our systems from compromises or breaches of our security measures, which could result in damage to our reputation and our business.

The Company relies on other companies to resolveprovide key components of its business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of the Company’s business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections, and network access. While the Company has selected these third-party vendors carefully, it does not control their actions. Any problem caused by these third parties, including poor performance of services, failure to provide services, disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor and failure to handle current or higher volumes, could adversely affect the Company’s ability to deliver products and services to its customers and otherwise conduct its business, and may harm its reputation. Financial or operational difficulties of a third-party vendor could also hurt the Company’s operations if those difficulties affect the vendor’s ability to serve the Company. Replacing these third-party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to the Company’s business operations.

Our business is technology dependent, and an inability to successfully implement technological improvements may adversely affect our ability to be competitive and our results of operations and financial condition.

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products, systems and services, which may require substantial initial investment to be implemented, including the cost of modifying or adapting existing products, systems and services. The Company invests in new technology to enhance customer service, and to increase efficiency and reduce operating costs. Our future success will depend in part upon our ability to create synergies in our operations through the use of technology and to facilitate the ability of customers to engage in financial transactions in a manner that enhances the customer experience. We cannot give any assurance that technological improvements will increase operational efficiency or that we will be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products, systems and services or be successful in marketing new products and services to our customers. A failure to maintain or enhance a competitive position with respect to technology, whether because of a failure to anticipate customer expectations, substantially fewer resources to invest in technological improvements than larger competitors, or because our technological developments fail to perform as desired or are not implemented in a timely manner, could result in higher operating costs, decreased customer satisfaction, and lower market share. An inability to effectively implement new technology and realize operational efficiencies could result in the loss of initial investments in such projects and higher operating costs. Either of these outcomes could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Loss of any of our key personnel could disrupt our operations and result in reduced revenues or increased expenses.

We are a relationship-driven organization. A key aspect of our business strategy is for our senior officers to have primary contact with our customers. Our growth and development to date have been, in large part, a result of these personalized relationships with our customer base.

Our senior officers have considerable experience in the banking industry and related financial services and are extremely valuable and would be difficult to replace. The loss of the services of these officers could have a material adverse effect upon future prospects. Although we believe the Company has excellent employee relations and provides competitive compensation to its senior officers, we cannot offer any assurance that they and other key employees will remain employed by us. The unexpected loss of services of one or more of these key employees could have a material adverse effect on operations and possibly result in reduced revenues or increased expenses.

The success of our business strategies depends on our ability to identify and recruit individuals with experience and relationships in our primary markets.

The successful implementation of our business strategy will require us to continue to attract, hire, motivate and retain skilled personnel to develop new customer relationships as well as new financial products and services. The market for qualified management personnel is competitive, which has contributed to salary and employee benefit costs that have risen and are expected to continue to rise, which may have an adverse effect on the Company’s net income. In addition, the process of identifying and recruiting individuals with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategy is often lengthy, and we may not be able to effectively integrate these individuals into our operations. Our inability to identify, recruit and retain talented personnel to manage our operations effectively and in a timely manner could limit our growth, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Difficulties in combining the operations of new or acquired bank branches, loan production offices or entities with the Company’s own operations may prevent the Company from achieving the expected benefits from acquisitions.

The Company may not be able to achieve fully the strategic objectives and operating efficiencies expected in opening a new branch or loan production office (LPO) or through an acquisition. Inherent uncertainties exist in integrating the operations of a new or acquired entity or acquired branches or LPO's. In addition, the markets and industries in which the Company and its potential new office locations or acquisition targets operate may be highly competitive. The Company may lose customers or the customers of acquired entities as a result of an acquisition; the Company may lose key personnel, either from the acquired entity or from itself; and the Company may not be able to control the incremental increase in noninterest expense arising from a new office location or acquisition in a manner that improves its overall operating efficiencies. These factors could contribute to the Company’s not achieving the expected benefits from its new branch or LPO locations or acquisitions within desired time frames, or at all. Future business acquisitions could be material to the Company, and it may issue additional shares of common stock to support those acquisitions, which would dilute current shareholders’ ownership interests. Acquisitions could also require the Company to use substantial cash or other liquid assets or to incur debt; the Company could therefore become more susceptible to economic downturns and competitive pressures.